During the Vietnam War, a group of new United States Marine Corps recruits arrives at Parris Island for recruit training. After having their heads shaved, they meet their drill instructor, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermey). Hartman, tasked with producing battle-ready Marines, immediately begins abusing his recruits in an attempt to harden them. The film focuses its attention on Privates “Joker” (Matthew Modine) and “Cowboy” (Arliss Howard), while the overweight Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D’Onofrio) draws the wrath of Hartman, who nicknames him “Gomer Pyle”.

Unresponsive to Hartman’s constant discipline, Pyle is paired with Joker. With this help, Pyle begins to improve, but progress is halted when Hartman discovers a jelly doughnut in Pyle’s foot locker. Feeling that the recruits have not helped in motivating Pyle properly, Hartman decides to adopt a policy of collective punishment: For each time Pyle makes a mistake, Hartman will not punish Pyle, but will punish the rest of the platoon. As a result, during one night the platoon hazes Pyle with a blanket party, pinning him to his bunk with a blanket and beating him with bars of soap wrapped in towels. Joker reluctantly joins in and beats Pyle several times. In the following weeks, Pyle undergoes a transformation, becoming a model Marine, which impresses Hartman. However, Pyle also displays signs of mental breakdown – including social withdrawal and talking to his M14. This leaves Joker concerned for Pyle’s well being.

After graduation, each recruit receives an assignment to an occupational specialty, with most, including Pyle, being sent to the infantry, though Joker is assigned to Basic Military Journalism, which earns him the ridicule of Hartman. On the platoon’s last night on Parris Island, Joker is assigned to fire watch, during which he discovers Pyle in the head loading his rifle with live ammunition. Joker attempts to calm Pyle, who begins shouting, executing drill commands, and reciting the Rifleman’s Creed. The noise awakens the entire platoon and Hartman, with the latter confronting Pyle. Pyle fatally shoots Hartman, then aims his rifle at Joker, who pleads to Pyle to “go easy”. Pyle finally manages to calm down, but, being shocked at murdering Hartman, commits suicide.

The film jumps to January 1968; Joker has become a corporal and a Marine Combat Correspondent in Vietnam with Stars and Stripes, assigned to a public-affairs unit with Private First Class Rafterman (Kevyn Major Howard), a combat photographer. Rafterman wants to go into combat, as Joker claims he has done, though one of his colleagues mocks Joker’s inexperience, claiming he doesn’t have the thousand-yard stare. The sound of nearby gunfire interrupts their argument: the North Vietnamese Army has begun the Tet Offensive and attempts to overrun the base.

The journalism staff is briefed the next day about enemy attacks throughout South Vietnam. Joker’s commander, Lt. Lockhart, sends Joker to Phu Bai, a Marine forward operating-base near Huế. Rafterman accompanies him to get combat experience. There, they meet the Lusthog Squad, where Cowboy is now a Sergeant and second-in-command. Joker accompanies the squad during the Battle of Huế, during which the enemy kills their commander, Lt. Touchdown (Ed O’Ross).

During a patrol north of the Perfume River, Crazy Earl (Kieron Jecchinis), the team’s new squad leader, is killed by a booby trap, leaving Cowboy in command. The squad becomes lost in the rubble, and Cowboy orders Eightball (Dorian Harewood) to recon an area, where the latter is shot several times by a sniper. Fearing that the squad is walking into a trap, Cowboy calls for a tank via a radio. Fearing that Eightball will not make it, the squad’s medic, Doc Jay (John Stafford) attempts to retrieve Eightball against orders, but is shot numerous times in the process. The sniper refrains from killing the wounded men with the intention of drawing more of the squad into the killing zone. Cowboy learns via the radio that the tank is not available for assistance and orders the team to prepare for withdrawal, but the squad’s machine gunner, Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin), disobeys Cowboy’s order and moves up to the open to try to indicate the sniper’s location. Animal Mother learns that there is only a sniper and no other threat in the area, but Doc Jay and Eightball succumb to their wounds. Animal Mother requests to the rest of the team to move up. As the squad maneuvers to locate the sniper’s hidden position, Cowboy is shot and killed.

With Cowboy dead, Animal Mother assumes command of the survivors. Under the cover of smoke grenades, the squad advances on the sniper’s position where Joker locates the enemy soldier on an upper floor. His rifle jams as he tries to shoot. The sniper, revealed to be a young girl, hears Joker’s gun clicking and opens fire on him. Joker takes cover behind one of the building’s support beams, which barely provides enough protection. Just as it appears that Joker is going to be killed, he is saved by Rafterman who shoots the sniper and kicks her gun away after she falls to the ground. As Animal Mother and other Marines of the squad converge, the mortally wounded sniper begins to pray and repeatedly begs for death, prompting an argument about whether or not to kill her. Animal Mother decides to allow a mercy killing only if Joker performs it. After some hesitation, Joker shoots her with his sidearm. The Marines congratulate him on his kill as Joker stares into the distance. The film concludes with the Marines marching toward their bivouac, singing the Mickey Mouse March. Joker states that despite being “in a world of shit” that he is glad to be alive, and is unafraid.

REVIEW:

A good number of my friends from high school chose to forgo/postpone college after graduation and head to the Marines. Now that they’ve finished they’re time in the service, they all seem to be putting a little bug in my ear to watch this film, so I finally caved.

Full Metal Jacket is a war drama that is told in such a way that you would think it is two separate stories. Before I go on, let me clear up that the title has nothing to do with Full Metal Alchemist (it’d be cool if it did, though, huh?), but rather it is a term for the magazines of a rifle that Marines use.

The first half of the film is spent allowing the audience to watch a platoon of cadets go through basic training. It seems like that would be uninteresting, but the nonstop barrage of insults that the Sgt., played by R. Lee Emery, hurls at the men, especially “Gomer Pyle”, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, really makes it quite entertaining.

The second half is a bit more serious, as we follow Private (now Sergeant) Joker, played by Matthew Modine, as he is now on assignment in Vietnam as a reporter. Eventually, he is reunited with Cowboy and the audience is exposed to what it ‘Nam was like for them.

If you listened to 2 Live Crew back in the day, then you may recognize some lines that came directly from one of the prostitutes in the film.

This film does something that many war flicks don’t do and that is it doesn’t glorify war and/or basic training. It is gritty and violent, especially for 1987, but even though there are comedic moments, one does not forget that this is a war flick.

Some have said that the comedy was too much. I don’t really know what’s wrong with them. It fits perfectly and doesn’t take anything away. If you want a totally serious war flick, then go watch Saving Private Ryan.

So, what is my final opinion about this flick? It is a really great war film, perhaps even the best that I’ve seen. Sure, it has its flaws and all, but don’t all films? I highly recommend this film. you won’t be disappointed!